


Deseos de la Navidad

by ThatEsqCrush



Series: Christmas One True Pairing Challenge [2]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family Loss, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:08:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25081390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatEsqCrush/pseuds/ThatEsqCrush
Summary: Prompt #2 (Decorations) from the @thefanficfaerie Christmas OTP challenge. Reference: SVU, S.16, E.16 “December Solstice.”
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Reader, Rafael Barba/You
Series: Christmas One True Pairing Challenge [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816486
Kudos: 14





	Deseos de la Navidad

As a child, Rafael Barba loved the Christmas season. He loved getting to open a present on Noche Buena and feasting on lechon asado (which took all day to make), ropa vieja, moros y cristianos, maduros and arroz con leche. He loved hearing his grandmother tell stories about Cuba and if he was particularly good, she would let him have a sip of the heavily spiked crema de vie.

Rafael had been having a hard time getting into the festive spirit after his grandmother passed away, especially since he felt as if it were his fault.

This was the first Christmas he wasn’t single, however. The DA’s office had a mixer and that was how the two of you met. He worked with SVU; you worked in white collar crime. The two of you bonded over a discussion of Macallan rum while being miserable at the much forced work/social event.

While Rafael was grateful to have met you, his heart was hurting. He had longed for his abuelita to meet you. After she had passed, his mother gave him the engagement ring his grandmother wanted him to give to you. He carried the ring with him for weeks; though he still intended to ask for your hand, the ring felt like a stone dragging him down. Subconsciously, as a result, he distanced himself from you.

That morning, he woke up after another night of restless sleep. The clock read 4am and it was still pitch black outside. Carefully, so as to not to disturb your sleeping form, Rafael crawled out of bed and got ready for work.

You woke up startled. Seeing the empty spot next to you, you looked at the clock - 5:30 AM. You sighed, before collapsing back into bed, pulling the comforter over your head.

****

Two and a half hours later, you padded around the kitchen, ready to grab your purse when you noticed yesterday’s dinner untouched and uneaten on the counter. With a sigh, you tossed the plate of salmon and buttery potatoes (that had congealed) into the trash.

You knew grief was full of ups and downs - fits and starts. It was anything but a linear path. You could tell when Rafael was having a good day - he was jovial and confident. Other days, he appeared weary, as if the weight of the world was his burden. You tried to give Rafael as much space as he needed to process. As much as you were tempted to, you didn’t want to fall prey to the temptation of filling the silence with platitudes.

You headed out of the apartment and made way to get breakfast at the local coffee shop. If you knew Rafael well - which you did - you knew he hasn’t had breakfast. The DA’s office wasn’t far, so you carried a tray over - a large black for Rafael, a soy latte for Carmen and a flat white for yourself. In your other hand was Rafael’s favorite: a guava and cheese croissant, a rift on his favorite pastry growing up.

You walked down the hallway towards his office. The DA’s office was surprisingly quiet, but you knew that would soon change. You rapped softly, before entering.

“Carmen, I said no interruptions,” Rafael barked before looking up. His gaze subtly softened. “Cariño.”

“You were gone early. Didn’t get to say goodbye. I brought you something to eat,” you replied softly.

“Thanks but I’m not hungry,” Rafael grumbled before going back to his notes. “I’ll take the coffee though.”

You sat down in the chair in front of his desk and pushed the coffee and bakery bag in front of him.

“You aren’t taking care of yourself amor. You came home late last night, you haven’t shaved,” you continued eyeing the more than a 5 o’ clock shadow Rafael sported “and you didn’t eat because the leftovers in the fridge —“

“I said I wasn’t hungry! Drop it,” Rafael snapped, cutting you off. He looked up and saw the expression on your face. You gave him a small tight lipped smile and nodded.

“I’ll see you at home,” you replied, standing. At the doorway you paused to look behind you and saw that Rafael had resumed his writing. You nodded once more and shut the door behind you with a click.

Rafael looked back up as the door shut with a click. He sighed and tossed his pen onto the desk, his head falling into his hands.

***

Back at home, you blasted the local radio station that started playing Christmas music early. You bopped along Rockin Around the Christmas Tree.

You had the Christmas decorations brought up from storage and you had just finished hanging the stockings from the mantle, when a sharp knock interrupted you.

You hit pause on the stereo and then looked through the peephole. You smiled at the visitor and opened the door. “Mrs. Barba! What are you doing here?”

Lucia gave you a look. “Please, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Lucia.” She reached down to pick up a box. “Is Rafi here?”

“No - at the office,” you replied.

“Como siempre,” Lucia replied with a sigh, opening the box. “I was cleaning out my mother’s apartment and I found some of her old Christmas ornaments that she smuggled out of Cuba. These have been in our family for generations. I thought Rafi would love them.”

You gently picked up an frosted glass ball covered in lace. “These are gorgeous; thank you.”

Lucia gave you a warm smile. “You’ve done a lovely job decorating — why are there three stockings though on the mantle?”

You gave her a coy smile. “I haven’t even told Rafael yet,” you confessed. You placed a hand on your stomach.

“Ay dios mio!” Lucia exclaimed, enveloping you into a hug. “This is so exciting! When are you due? How do you feel? ¡Mija, siéntate!”

You let out a small giggle. “I’m only 6 weeks. I’m due August 19th. I feel good; some nausea. Nothing too bad.”

“Oh Rafi is going to be so happy!” Lucia exclaimed.

“I hope so,” you replied. When Lucia cocked her brow, you continued. “He’s been having a hard time since your mother passed.”

Lucia nodded, and walked over to the mantle, gingerly touching the stocking that had Baby Barba embroidered on it. “They were incredibly close. I know he feels guilty about the nursing home.”

You nodded, wrapping your arms around yourself. Lucia walked up to you and enveloped you into another hug.

****

Rafael wearily shuffled into the apartment. He took off his coat and hung it up, before removing his suit jacket. “Cariño?”

You pressed the button on the remote and the entire apartment lit up in sparkly lights. The apartment was decorated to the nines in Christmas decor.

Rafael was stunned. ‘When did she do all of this?’ he wondered.

“Surprise,” you replied softly, from across the room, by the mantle. “I know you have been having a hard time. And I know nothing I saw will bring her back, and nothing will change that void in your heart, but I just want to bring some joy back into your life.”

Rafael walked up to you. Wordlessly, he pulled you close to him. Your hands on his chest, you breathed in the scent of his cologne. Rafael tipped your head back slightly with his finger and brought his lips down to yours. You moaned into the kiss as his tongue tangled yours. The stubble of Rafael’s unshaved beard irritated your skin.

You hesitantly broke the kiss, trying to catch your breath. “Do you like it?”

“I love it. And I love you,” Rafael replied, pushing your hair back.

“Look, your mom gave us your abuela’s ornaments,” you replied, pulling Rafael towards the Christmas tree. You gently tapped a lace ornament.

Rafael’s eyes watered as he took an ornament in his hand. You wrapped an arm around Rafael’s waist and rested your head against him. Rafael kissed the top of your head. He looked behind you and towards the mantle, his eyes tracking the stockings that hung. “There are three,” he noted curiously.

Rafael walked to the third stocking; he looked at you, his eyes watering once more. “It says … are you?”

You bit your lip, nodding. “Yeah.”

Rafael swept you into his arms once more, twirling you in his embrace. He set you down gently, your back to him, with a hand firmly pressed against your abdomen.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around. I’m sorry if I’ve been distant, Rafael apologized, his voice cracking a bit.

“Don’t,” you shook your head. “I understand. It’s okay.”

Rafael pressed a kiss into the slope of your neck. You both watched the decorations and lights sparkle on the tree. Rafael knew somehow, with you by his side, he’d get through this tough time. Rafael also looked forward to the future and the new beginnings that awaited the two of you.

FIN


End file.
